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Original poster

More protections needed in schools?

187 replies

RocketFire7 · 07/02/2022 12:53

Zubaida Haque from independent sage is now reporting that covid is sending more DC are being admitted to hospital than ever before. She believes this is due to the lack of protections and mitigations in schools.

twitter.com/zubhaque/status/1489599939353186311?s=21

Do we now need to implement better protections in schools to keep DC, staff, parents and communities safe? There is also of course the risk of long covid.

Should we be looking to make N95 masks compulsory from age 5 (as many US states have done), air filtration units, rota systems so that social distancing can be maintained and sending home whole year groups when there is a positive test?

OP posts:
OliveTree75 · 08/02/2022 06:30

Quite a lot of research suggests that viral dose is important - which I suspect is partly why teachers tend to be quite ill with covid - they're getting a massive viral dose. If you do nothing at all to remove the virus from the air, given it's airborne, outcomes will be far worse

Where are you getting "teachers tend to be quite ill" from? Is there research into that? Genuingly asking aa I would say 80% of staff in my school have had it and nobody has been very poorly at all

Dailywalk · 08/02/2022 06:30

No. Our children have missed too much. I’d imagine there’s very few children left in my kids’ schools that haven’t had Covid.

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 08/02/2022 06:33

@Dailywalk

That doesn’t mean much, girl in my tutor group of off for the third time with covid now.

It’s so easy for many who don’t work in a school to shout it must go on whatever. It’s pretty daunting walking through the 6th form knowing 84 of them are home with covid.

treeflowercat · 08/02/2022 06:37

[quote OnceuponaRainbow18]@Dailywalk

That doesn’t mean much, girl in my tutor group of off for the third time with covid now.

It’s so easy for many who don’t work in a school to shout it must go on whatever. It’s pretty daunting walking through the 6th form knowing 84 of them are home with covid.[/quote]
Of the 84 are off with Covid, I wonder how many are too ill to be in school? Almost certainly a tiny fraction.

Cripesitsthegasman19 · 08/02/2022 06:39

Hell would have to freeze over before my 6 year old would be forced to wear a mask all day.

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 08/02/2022 06:47

@treeflowercat

Luckily vast majority of kids realise it’s not just about them and are happy to protect others. They are engaging in online lessons and in the grand scheme of things they can manage 6-10 days at home

NETSRIK · 08/02/2022 06:49

Shall we make guns available at the supermarket too OP? You know, because the US do that?

treeflowercat · 08/02/2022 07:09

I don't understand.

In one post you breathlessly say how terribly Covid is impacting your school, and how so many are absent with Covid!...

But when challenged over whether this may be disproportionate level of disruption given the actual levels of illness, you respond by saying that they're happily all learning from home, and besides it's only for a few days... Confused

treeflowercat · 08/02/2022 07:09

Sorry, that was a response to @OnceuponaRainbow18

LegArmpits · 08/02/2022 07:19

Don't be weird Grin

RG2468 · 08/02/2022 07:26

OP absolutely not. It won’t be happening here either.

nojudgementhere · 08/02/2022 07:42

Asbolutely no way. I teach at a primary school and if they tried to make the kids wear masks I would walk out, as I couldn't bear to be involved in something so fundamentally damaging and unethical.

Picklesandbeans · 08/02/2022 08:06

Schools and kids have done the hard bit now with no help ar all. Omicrom is milder and vulnerable children are now been vaccinated so the tide will turn gradually. Majority of my class and all school staff have had covid now.

Blubells · 08/02/2022 08:16

Absolutely not!

Omicron is mild and the vast majority of children will have no more than a light cold.

Children should absolutely not wear masks all day - they need to be exposed to germs.

Vulnerable teachers and children can get vaccinated if they want more protection.

Covidworries · 08/02/2022 08:19

Not read fulll thread..
My view is that ventilation should have been put into schools, it is awful that this one thing hasnt been done.

Lots of children are suffering long covid.

The other measures... i think we needed the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.

Im concerned over rising deaths in countries that had remived all meausres.

With a CEV child. The child and sibling can not currently attend school. We would like them to be able to return. But mitigations such as ventilation or lower cases would be needed. Luckily vaccination has started in CEV children now but we are lookinb at April by time 2nd dose will be done. So for now w will continue to home ed

puppetere · 08/02/2022 09:01

We should spend on our schools. But Covid is the wrong focus.

Our schools need investment to repair leaking roofs, improve heating, purchase books and improve daytime food, and staffing levels.

Some of them also need improvement in ventilation.

But if we focus on Covid, we’ll spend a lot, and perhaps even feel quite proud of ourselves, but ultimately it’ll improve things little, and it’ll be to the detriment of schools that really need a lot more.

RG2468 · 08/02/2022 09:05

Agree on improving day time food - it’s pretty horrific what’s on offer for children.

Blubells · 08/02/2022 14:40

*We should spend on our schools. But Covid is the wrong focus.

Our schools need investment to repair leaking roofs, improve heating, purchase books and improve daytime food, and staffing levels.

*I agree. Spending lots of money on 'ventilation' will unlikely yield high benefits as omicron is soo transmissible and will spread regardless.

Much better to spend money on better education and food.

SantaClawsServiette · 08/02/2022 16:45

I don't know how anyone can recommend online learning. It's something many university students struggle with, and online university classes in many cases are not up to the quality of in person ones because the capacity for real engagement doesn't exist.

All the more so with younger students.

Wnkingawalrus · 08/02/2022 19:21

@SantaClawsServiette

I don't know how anyone can recommend online learning. It's something many university students struggle with, and online university classes in many cases are not up to the quality of in person ones because the capacity for real engagement doesn't exist.

All the more so with younger students.

Exactly! We trialled online learning for professional qualifications pre pandemic and based on student feedback and a deterioration in exam results we were shifting back to classroom based.

The whole world has gone ducking mad if people really think remote learning is a decent option. It was a necessary format for a period of time and should in no way become the norm across schools.

frazzledquaver · 08/02/2022 19:45

@Picklesandbeans

Schools and kids have done the hard bit now with no help ar all. Omicrom is milder and vulnerable children are now been vaccinated so the tide will turn gradually. Majority of my class and all school staff have had covid now.
Omicron isn't milder for kids - it's about the same, but more are getting it so more hospitalisations, etc. No data yet on levels of Long Covid with omicron (or the effect of repeat infection in a short period of time). Vulnerable kids haven't been vaccinated. My 15 year old is in the vulnerable group and got his first vaccine as soon as it was eligible. He became eligible for his booster this week, described by the vaccinator as "finishing the course" as two vaccines isn't that great protection against omicron. Vulnerable children under the age of 12 are only starting to get their vaccines now - many can't yet access them. And covid isn't chicken pox, you don't just get it once. Previous infection is very little protection against omicron - lots of kids I know getting it again after having been infected in November, some of whom haven't recovered properly from the first infection yet.
RG2468 · 08/02/2022 20:49

On line learning is soul destroying for small children. School is about so much more than what they learn in lessons.

Children must stay in school.

RG2468 · 08/02/2022 20:50

But they won’t get omicron again and that’s the dominant strain.

whittingtonmum · 08/02/2022 20:52

Air filters are a no brainer. Please write to your MP and ask them to advocate for government funding of air filters in every classroom.

BeenToldComputerSaysNo · 08/02/2022 21:11

@RG2468

But they won’t get omicron again and that’s the dominant strain.
Is there data to support this? Thanks